[liberationtech] NYT report on Obama admin's wiretap plans

[Jacob Appelbaum]

On 09/27/2010 01:09 PM, Alec Muffett wrote:
>> Imagine a Skype client that explicitly checks whether a user has an
>> outstanding wiretap order and, if so, sends a copy of the
>> conversation to an LEA server somewhere
> 
> 
> Aside:
> 
> I was listening to recordings of this year's DEFCON, and heard a
> comment which - if I heard it correctly - suggested that Skype is
> today known to the community to nowadays be subject to interception.
> 
> By "Skype" I mean standard, vanilla Skype as opposed to Chinese
> TOM-Skype or any other Skype software modified pre- or post-install
> by a third party, eg: the BKA.
> 
> I mentally related this comment to a conversation that I had several
> years ago, with an interested party, regarding requirements for Skype
> to deploy a lawful-interception mechanism for agencies that wanted
> such; and not just via MITM on a national firewall but a proper,
> supported, court-order-required mechanism for nations that desired
> it.
> 
> My presumption from the DEFCON comment was that this requirement was
> now both fulfilled and known to the community at large.
> 
> Would this presumption fit the current public understanding of Skype
> security?
> 

Yeah, of course. Skype isn't secure against a well funded adversary or a
well informed hacker with a modest amount of resources.

All the best,
Jake